Prescriptions for anti-psychotics need urgent review, claim dementia experts
Friday 10th June 2011
An urgent review of the distribution of anti-psychotics by those in pharmacy jobs is needed to remove dementia patients from under the "chemical cosh", it has been claimed.
A group of more than 50 health and social care organisations have called for a review of drug prescriptions for anti-pychotics before March 2012, amid growing concern about the health implications of these drugs.
GPs and other health professionals are believed to have prescribed around 180,000 people in the UK with this treatment for dementia, although critics claim that in the majority of cases this has been done inappropriately.
Long-term use of these drugs, which are usually used to treat schizophrenia, can worsen symptoms, affect mobility and in the worst cases cause patients to die.
The newly formed Dementia Action Alliance includes charities such as the Alzheimer's Society, the Department of Health and four Royal Colleges.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said that there has been a lack of urgency to develop alternative treatments. "This campaign, fully supported by Alzheimer's Research UK, should renew that urgency and drive home the need to invest in more research so that safer, more effective treatments can be found," she added.
In one case highlighted by Alzheimer's Research UK, a relative of a patient with Alzheimer's was not offered any explanation by doctors as to why anti-psychotics had been prescribed.
Deborah Gatesman claims her father was prescribed the drugs because "his behaviour ticked certain boxes", but "nobody could justify why he was on them".
Ms Gatesman added: "I hope this campaign will make family members and carers seek advice from their GP or pharmacist and pursue the matter until prescriptions are reviewed. I also hope it will change things for the many people without such a network."
Care services minister Paul Burstow claimed that it is "unacceptable that 1,800 people with dementia die prematurely every year as a result of anti-psychotic medication".
Posted by Megan Smith
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